U.S. patent number 9,045,311 [Application Number 13/727,634] was granted by the patent office on 2015-06-02 for container for accommodating cable therein and electronic device assembly with same.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.. The grantee listed for this patent is Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Zhou Chen.
United States Patent |
9,045,311 |
Chen |
June 2, 2015 |
Container for accommodating cable therein and electronic device
assembly with same
Abstract
An exemplary container for accommodating a cable of an
electronic device includes a base, a cover, a winder rotatably
connected to the base, a transmission piece fasten to the winder,
and a driving apparatus fixed on the cover and engaging with the
transmission piece. The cover is placed on the base to cover the
winder and defines a receiving space in cooperation with the base
to receive the winder. The driving apparatus includes a trigger.
The trigger generates a shift signal to the driving apparatus each
time the trigger is pressed. The driving apparatus drives the
winder to rotate via the transmission piece for winding up the
cable on the winder according to the shift signal.
Inventors: |
Chen; Zhou (Shenzhen,
CN) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD. |
Shenzhen
New Taipei |
N/A
N/A |
CN
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
Fu Tai Hua Industry (Shenzhen) Co.,
Ltd. (Shenzhen, CN)
HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD. (New Taipei,
TW)
|
Family
ID: |
48654340 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/727,634 |
Filed: |
December 27, 2012 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20130163219 A1 |
Jun 27, 2013 |
|
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Dec 27, 2011 [CN] |
|
|
2011 1 0444414 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K
5/0217 (20130101); B65H 75/4481 (20130101); B65H
75/4484 (20130101); B65H 2701/3919 (20130101); H04R
1/1033 (20130101); B65H 2557/11 (20130101); H02G
11/02 (20130101); H01R 13/72 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65H
75/30 (20060101); H05K 5/00 (20060101); B65H
75/48 (20060101); H05K 7/00 (20060101); H02G
11/02 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Nguyen; Hoa C
Assistant Examiner: Cunningham; Xanthia C
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg
LLP
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A container for accommodating a cable of an electronic device,
the container comprising: a base comprising a bottom board and a
holding post extending up from a center of the bottom board, the
holding post comprising an upper part and a lower part, wherein the
radius of the upper part is less than the radius of the lower part,
and a step is formed at an intersection between the upper part and
the lower part; a cover placed on the base and defining a receiving
space in cooperation with the base; a winder received in the
receiving space and rotatably connected to the holding post of the
base, the upper part received in the winder; a transmission piece
fastened to the winder; and a driving apparatus fixed on the cover
and operatively engaged with the transmission piece, the driving
apparatus comprising a trigger; wherein the trigger generates a
shift signal to the driving apparatus each time the trigger is
pressed by a user, the shift signal shifts the driving apparatus
between adjacent working modes of a predetermined cycle of working
modes of the driving apparatus, and the driving apparatus drives
the winder to rotate via the transmission piece for winding up the
cable on the winder according to one of the working modes.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the winder comprises an upper
board, a lower board, and a connecting sidewall, the winder defines
a bottom through hole in the lower board, the connecting sidewall
extends up from a top surface of the lower board and encircles the
bottom through hole, and the upper board radially extends from a
top periphery of the connecting sidewall.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein the upper part is received in
the bottom through hole, and the lower board is supported on the
step.
4. The container of claim 3, wherein the winder further comprises a
bottom sidewall extending from a bottom surface of the lower board,
the bottom sidewall encircles the bottom through hole, an inner
radius of the bottom sidewall is slightly larger than the radius of
the lower part, and the bottom sidewall encircles the lower
part.
5. The container of claim 2, wherein the winder defines a plurality
of positioning grooves in an inner surface of the connecting
sidewall, and the positioning grooves are close to the upper board
and distributed along a peripheral direction of the connecting
sidewall at predetermined intervals.
6. The container of claim 5, wherein the transmission piece
comprises a connecting base, a holding flange, and a plurality of
connecting hooks, the holding flange radially extends from an upper
periphery of the connecting base, the connecting hooks extend down
from a bottom surface of the holding flange and are distributed
along a peripheral direction of the holding flange at predetermined
intervals, and the connecting hooks are engaged in the positioning
grooves thereby fastening the transmission piece to the winder.
7. The container of claim 6, wherein the transmission piece defines
an engaging recess in the connecting base, the transmission piece
forms a plurality of teeth on a circumferential inner wall of the
engaging recess, the driving apparatus comprises a motor, and the
motor is fixed on the cover and comprises a gear received in the
engaging recess and engaged with some of the teeth.
8. The container of claim 5, wherein the base further comprises a
positioning sidewall and a plurality of support sidewalls, the
support sidewalls are concentric and encircle the holding post, the
positioning sidewall encircles the support sidewalls, a height of
the positioning sidewall is greater than a height of the support
sidewalls, and the lower board is supported on the support
sidewalls and restricted by the positioning sidewall.
9. The container of claim 1, wherein the driving apparatus further
comprises a control unit and a motor, and the motor is operatively
engaged with the transmission piece to provide rotation force to
the winder.
10. The container of claim 9, wherein the driving apparatus stops
the winder rotating according to another one of the working
modes.
11. An electronic device assembly comprising: an electronic device
comprising: a cable; and a sensing apparatus configured to sense
whether the electronic device is currently in use, the sensing
apparatus comprising a wireless transmitter; and a container
comprising: a base comprising a bottom board and a holding post
extending up from a center of the bottom board, the holding post
comprising an upper part and a lower part, the radius of the upper
part is less than the radius of the lower part, a step is formed at
an intersection between the upper part and the lower part; a winder
rotatably connected to the holding post of the base, the upper part
is received in the winder; a transmission piece fastened to the
winder; a cover placed on the base and covering the winder and the
transmission piece; and a driving apparatus fixed on the cover and
operatively connected to the winder via the transmission piece for
driving the winder to rotate, the driving apparatus comprising a
wireless receiver communicatively connected with the wireless
transmitter of the electronic device; wherein the driving apparatus
is configured to drive the winder to rotate according to at least
one sensing signal wirelessly transmitted from the sensing
apparatus and thereby wind up the cable on the winder.
12. The electronic device assembly of claim 11, wherein the sensing
apparatus comprises a biosensor for sensing a biological sign of
the presence of a human being, the biosensor transmits a sensing
signal to the driving apparatus when the electronic device is
touched by a user.
13. The electronic device assembly of claim 12, wherein the driving
apparatus comprises a control unit and a motor, the control unit
determines that the electronic device is in contact with the user
and shuts the motor down when the control unit receives the first
sensing signal.
14. The electronic device assembly of claim 13, wherein the control
unit determines that the electronic device is currently not in use
when the control unit does not receive the first sensing signal for
a predetermined time period, and thereupon transmits a drive
command to the motor for driving the winder to wind up the
cable.
15. The electronic device assembly of claim 13, wherein the sensing
apparatus comprises an electrical sensor for sensing an electrical
parameter of the electronic device, and the electrical sensor
transmits the sensing signal to the driving apparatus when the
electronic device is connected to an external device.
16. The electronic device assembly of claim 15, wherein the driving
apparatus comprises a control unit and a motor, the motor engages
with the transmission piece to provide a rotation force with the
winder, the control unit determines that the electronic device is
currently in use and shuts down the motor when the control unit
receives the second sensing signal.
17. The electronic device assembly of claim 16, wherein when the
control unit does not receive the sensing signal for a
predetermined time period, the control unit determines that the
electronic device is currently not in use and transmits the drive
command to the motor for driving the winder to wind up the
cable.
18. A container for accommodating a cable of an electronic device,
the container comprising: a base comprising a bottom board and a
holding post extending up from a center of the bottom board; a
cover placed on the base and defining a receiving space in
cooperation with the base; a winder received in the receiving space
and rotatably connected to the base, the winder rotatably connected
to the holding post, the winder comprising: an upper board; a lower
board including a bottom through hole therethrough; and a
connecting sidewall, extending up from a top surface of the lower
board and encircling the bottom through hole, the upper board
radially extending from a top periphery of the connecting sidewall,
an inner surface of the connecting sidewall including a plurality
of positioning grooves, the positioning grooves in close proximity
to the upper board and distributed along a peripheral direction of
the connecting sidewall at predetermined intervals; a transmission
piece connected to the winder, the transmission piece comprising a
connecting base, a holding flange, and a plurality of connecting
hooks, the holding flange radially extending from an upper
periphery of the connecting base, the connecting hooks extending
down from a bottom surface of the holding flange and distributed
along a peripheral direction of the holding flange at predetermined
intervals, the connecting hooks engageable in the positioning
grooves thereby fastening the transmission piece to the winder; and
a driving apparatus fixed on the cover and operatively engageable
with the transmission piece, the driving apparatus comprising a
trigger operable to generate a shift signal to the driving
apparatus when the trigger is activated by a user, the shift signal
shifting the driving apparatus between adjacent working modes of a
predetermined cycle of working modes of the driving apparatus, the
driving apparatus operable to drive the winder to rotate via the
transmission piece for winding the cable on the winder according to
one of the working modes.
19. The container of claim 18, wherein the transmission piece
defines an engaging recess in the connecting base, the transmission
piece forms a plurality of teeth on a circumferential inner wall of
the engaging recess, the driving apparatus comprises a motor, and
the motor is fixed on the cover and comprises a gear received in
the engaging recess and engaged with some of the teeth.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to containers for electrical cables
and the like, and more particularly, to a container for
accommodating a cable of an electronic device. The disclosure also
relates an electronic device assembly having the container.
2. Description of Related Art
An electronic device such as a cellular phone or the headphones of
a music player usually uses a long cable for transmitting
electrical signals. However, the long cable is easily tangled when
the electronic device is put away, which is inconvenient and
bothersome for use the next time.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a means which can overcome
the above-mentioned problems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with
references to the following drawings. The components in the
drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead
being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the
embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals
designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a container for accommodating a
cable of an electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment,
showing part of the cable and the electronic device in phantom.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the container of FIG. 1, together
with the cable and the electronic device.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a sensing apparatus and a driving
apparatus of the electronic device and the container of the
exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 1,
showing an internal assembly of the container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in
detail below, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 1-2 illustrate a container 10 in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment. The container 10 is configured for accommodating a
cable 20 of an electronic device 22. The electronic device 22 may
be, for example, a pair of earphones of a music player or of a
cellular phone. In the illustrated example, the electronic device
22 is a pair of earphones, and the container 10 is configured for
accommodating the entire electronic device 22 including the cable
20. The container 10 may include a base 100, a cover 105, a winder
130, a driving apparatus 132, a transmission piece 131, a pair of
receiving blocks 140, and a pair of shielding boards 150. The cover
105 is connected to the base 100 and defines a first receiving
space 160 (see FIG. 4) in cooperation with the base 100. The winder
130 is received in the first receiving space 160, and the cable 20
is wrapped on the winder 130. The electronic device 22 is provided
with a sensing apparatus 210, which senses whether the electronic
device 22 is being used. When the electronic device 22 is not being
used, the sensing apparatus 210 detects such state of the
electronic device 22, and the driving apparatus 132 correspondingly
drives the winder 130 to rotate and thereby wind up the cable
20.
The base 100 includes a bottom board 110, an outer sidewall 120, a
positioning sidewall 112, a number of support sidewalls 114, and a
holding post 115. The outer sidewall 120 extends up from a
periphery of the bottom board 110. The positioning sidewall 112,
the support sidewalls 114, and the holding post 115 extend up from
a top surface of the bottom board 110 in a direction parallel to
the outer sidewall 120. The positioning sidewall 112 encircles the
support sidewalls 114. In the illustrated embodiment, there are two
support sidewalls 114. The radius of the support sidewall 114 close
to the holding post 115 is less than the radius of the support
sidewall 114 far from the holding post 115. The holding post 115 is
encircled by the inner support sidewall 114. The height of the
positioning sidewall 112 is greater than the height of the support
sidewalls 114. In this embodiment, the bottom board 110 is
circular. The holding post 115 is located on the center of the
bottom board 110.
The holding post 115 includes an upper part 1150 and a lower part
1152. The radius of the upper part 1150 is less than the radius of
the lower part 1152. Thus, a step 1153 is formed at an intersection
between the upper part 1150 and the lower part 1152.
The winder 130 includes an upper board 1300, a lower board 1301, a
connecting sidewall 1302, and a bottom sidewall 1303 (see FIG. 4).
The winder 130 defines a bottom through hole 1304 in the lower
board 1301. The connecting sidewall 1302 extends up from a top
surface of the lower board 1301, and can be considered to encircle
the bottom through hole 1304. The bottom sidewall 1303 extends from
a bottom surface of the lower board 1301. The bottom sidewall 1303
can be considered to encircle the bottom through hole 1304. The
radius of the bottom through hole 1304 is larger than the radius of
the upper part 1150, and is less than the radius of the lower part
1152. An inner radius of the bottom sidewall 1303 is slightly
larger than the radius of the lower part 1152. The connecting
sidewall 1302 and the lower board 1301 cooperatively define a
second receiving space 216 for receiving the transmission piece
131.
The upper board 1300 radially extends from a top periphery of the
connecting sidewall 1302. The upper board 1300 is parallel to the
lower board 1301. An outer radius of the upper board 1300 is the
same as an outer radius of the lower board 1301.
The winder 130 defines a number of positioning grooves 1306 (as
shown in FIG. 4) in an inner surface of the connecting sidewall
1302. The positioning grooves 1306 are close to the upper board
1300, and distributed along a peripheral direction of the
connecting sidewall 1302 at predetermined intervals.
The transmission piece 131 includes a connecting base 1310, a
holding flange 1312, and a number of connecting hooks 1313. The
transmission piece 131 defines a circular engaging recess 1311 in
the connecting base 1310. The engaging recess 1311 is exposed at a
top of the connecting base 1310. The transmission piece 131 forms a
number of teeth 1315 on a circumferential inner wall of the
engaging recess 1311. The holding flange 1312 radially extends from
an upper periphery of the connecting base 1310, with a top surface
of the holding flange 1312 being coplanar with a top surface of the
connecting base 1310. The connecting hooks 1313 extend down from a
bottom surface of the holding flange 1312 and are distributed along
a peripheral direction of the holding flange 1312 at predetermined
intervals. Each connecting hook 1313 has an L-shaped transverse
cross-section.
The cover 105 includes a top board 1050, a button 1051, and a
limiting sidewall 1052. The limiting sidewall 1052 extends down
from a periphery of the top board 1050, and defines a pair of
opposite cutouts 1053 corresponding to the shielding boards 150.
The cover 105 defines a button recess 1504 in a top surface of the
top board 1050. The cover 105 also defines a trigger through hole
1055 in the top board 1050, the trigger through hole 1055 being
located below and in communication with the button recess 1054. The
top board 1050 includes a number of fastening posts 1056 and a
receiving collar 1057. The fastening posts 1056 and the receiving
collar 1057 are formed on a bottom surface of the top board
1050.
One of the receiving blocks 140 defines a first receiving groove
1400. The other one of the receiving blocks 140 defines a second
receiving groove 1402. The shielding boards 150 are configured for
shielding the receiving blocks 140 when the receiving blocks 140
are assembled in the container 10.
The sensing apparatus 210 is set on the electronic device 22 and
operatively connected to the driving apparatus 132 via wireless
communication. Referring also to FIG. 3, the sensing apparatus 210
includes a wireless transmitter 215, and at least one of a
biosensor 211 and an electrical sensor 213. The biosensor 211
senses a biological sign of the presence of a human being, such as
the body temperature of a human, and transmits a first sensing
signal to the driving apparatus 132 via the wireless transmitter
215. The electrical sensor 213 senses an electrical parameter of
the electronic device 22, and transmits a second sensing signal to
the driving apparatus 132 via the wireless transmitter 215. In this
embodiment, the electronic device 22 is the pair of earphones,
which also includes a pair of earpieces 203, a connector 201, and a
cable 20 interconnecting the pair of earpieces 203 and the
connector 201. The biosensor 211 is set on either or both of the
earpieces 203, for example. The electrical sensor 213 is set on the
connector 201, for example. In the description that follows, unless
the context indicates otherwise, it is assumed that the sensing
apparatus 210 includes only the biosensor 211 or only the
electrical sensor 213.
The driving apparatus 132 comprises a circuit board 30, a control
unit 40, a trigger 50, a wireless receiver 80, and a motor 60. The
control unit 40 and the trigger 50 are mounted on the circuit board
30. The motor 60 includes a gear 61. The gear 61 rotates in a
predetermined direction when the motor 60 is working under the
command of the control unit 40. In one example, the control unit 40
receives the first sensing signal via wireless communication
between the wireless transmitter 215 and the wireless receiver 80,
and thereby determines that the electronic device 22 is in contact
with a human being. Then when the control unit 40 does not receive
the first sensing signal for a predetermined time period, the
control unit 40 determines that the electronic device 22 is not in
use, and generates a drive command. The drive command is
transmitted to the motor 60 to actuate the motor 60, and thereby
the gear 61 rotates to wind up the cable 20. In another example,
the control unit 40 receives the second sensing signal, and thereby
determines that the electronic device 22 is working. Then when the
control unit 40 does not receive the second sensing signal for a
predetermined time period, the control unit 40 determines that the
electronic device 22 is not in use, and generates the drive
command. The drive command is transmitted to the motor 60 to
actuate the motor 60, and thereby the gear 61 rotates to wind up
the cable 20.
FIGS. 2 and 4 show that in assembly, the winder 130 is sleeved on
the holding post 111. In detail, the upper part 114 is passed
through the bottom through hole 233 and then the bottom sidewall
232 encircles the lower part 112. An inner periphery of the lower
board 1301 at the bottom through hole 232 is supported by the step
113. Other portions of the lower board 1301 are supported on the
support sidewalls 114, and an outer periphery of the lower board
1301 is restricted by the positioning sidewall 112. The winder 130
is thus received in the first receiving space 160.
The connecting base 1310 is fixed in the second receiving space 216
by the connecting hooks 1313 correspondingly inserting into the
positioning grooves 1306 of the inner surface of the connecting
sidewall 1302. The circuit board 30 is fastened to the fastening
posts 1056. Thus, the trigger 50 of the circuit board 30 protrudes
up through the trigger through hole 1055 into the button recess
1054. The motor 60 is received in the receiving collar 1057 and
electrically connected to the control unit 40.
The cover 105 covers the base 100. The gear 61 is inserted into the
engaging recess 1311 and engages with some of the teeth 1315. The
button 1051 is received in the button recess 1054 and lightly
contacts the trigger 50.
The cable 20 of electronic device 22 is wrapped on an outer surface
of the connecting sidewall 1302. The receiving blocks 140 are
correspondingly placed at two opposite positions between the outer
sidewall 120 and the positioning sidewall 112. The earpieces 203
and the connector 201 are correspondingly received in the first
receiving groove 1400 and the second receiving groove 1402. The
shielding boards 150 correspondingly shield the cutouts 1053, which
improves the aesthetic appearance of the container 10.
In use of the container 10, in a first embodiment, the control unit
40 determines whether the electronic device 22 is in use by
analyzing input sent from the biosensor 211. When the earpieces 203
are in contact with a user, the biosensor 211 senses a first
temperature of the user, generates the first sensing signal, and
transmits the first sensing signal to the control unit 40 via
wireless communication. The control unit 40 determines that the
earpieces 203 are being used by the user, and shuts the motor 60
down (or the motor 60 remains shut down). Thus, the user can pull
the cable 20 out of the winder 130 by hand. When the earpieces 203
are not in contact with the user for the predetermined time period,
the biosensor 211 senses a second temperature of environment, which
is lower than the first temperature of the human body. Under this
condition, the biosensor 211 either does not transmit the first
sensing signal to the control unit 40, or transmits a reversal
first sensing signal to the control unit 40. The control unit 40
determines that the earpieces 203 are not in use if the control
unit 40 does not receive the first sensing signal for the
predetermined time period, or if the control unit 40 receives the
reversal first sensing signal. Upon making such determination, the
control unit 40 transmits the drive command to the motor 60 for
driving the winder 130 to wind up the cable 20.
In a second embodiment, the control unit 40 determines whether the
electronic device 22 is in use by analyzing input sent from the
electrical sensor 213. When the connector 201 is connected to an
external device, such as a cellular phone or a music player, the
electrical sensor 213 generates the second sensing signal, and
transmits the second sensing signal to the control unit 40 via
wireless communication. The control unit 40 determines that the
electronic device 22 is in use and shuts the motor 60 down (or the
motor 60 remains shut down). Thus, the user can pull the cable 20
out of the winder 130 by hand. When the control unit 40 does not
receive the second sensing signal for the predetermined time
period, the control unit 40 determines that the electronic device
22 is not in use. Upon making such determination, the control unit
40 transmits the drive command to the motor 60 for driving the
winder 130 to wind up the cable 20.
In a third embodiment, the user also can control the rotation of
the winder 130 with the button 1051. The trigger 50 generates a
shift signal to the control unit 40 each time the trigger 50 is
pressed by the button 1051. The control unit 40 presets two working
modes of the motor 60, such as rotating at a first direction (and
thus winding up the cable 20) and stopping. Each time the control
unit 40 receives the shift signal, the control unit 40 switches
between the two working modes by shifting from a current one of the
working modes to the other working mode. Thus, the user can stop
the winder 130 by pressing the button 1051 once while the winder
130 is rotating; and can begin or restart the rotation of the
winder 130 by pressing the button 1051 again.
While various exemplary and preferred embodiments have been
described, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not
limited thereto. To the contrary, various modifications and similar
arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art) are
intended to also be covered. Therefore, the scope of the appended
claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to
encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
* * * * *